


Heart of a Wolf (Yeah, I know, original, right?)

by Aella_S



Category: No Fandom, Original Work
Genre: F/F, Fluff, MAYBE Smut like way later, Supposed to be Romance, Wolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-13
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:41:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24163024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aella_S/pseuds/Aella_S
Summary: Aella is pretty much an average high school student, that is, until she learns that she's actually a wolf, watches her foster parents die, and her home gets blown to smithereens. She's taken in by a pack, (led by quite the attractive Alpha), and must learn to cope with her wolf side, and become one with it. Oh, did I forget to mention exacting revenge on the people who killed her adoptive parents? Yeah, that too...
Relationships: Aella/Dawn, Original Female Character/Original Female Character
Kudos: 17





	1. Prologue (Aella)

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo... Still very much a work in progress, I feel like I may be pushing the story forward too quickly, and I may not be going into enough detail... Anyway, if y'all could maybe give a little feedback in the comments... maybe just like ideas of where y'all would like the story to go, things y'all think that I could make better, that kinda stuff. Anyway, all feedback is appreciated, I love to hear what you guys have to say!

Hi, my name is Aella. I'm currently running for my life, but, before we talk about that, let me give you the rundown on how this started. It began, let's see... oh, right, this morning! That's right, it only took a day for my life to turn upside down and become a living hell, so, welcome to the fantastic world of me! Oh, and it’s a Friday too. You know how Fridays are usually the best day of the week? This was easily the most fucked up day of my LIFE. Screw the week thing. So, I'll start in my 5th period. Science, (otherwise known as hell in a nutshell)... 


	2. Chapter 1 (Aella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo... I don't know if I kinda pushed this chapter to move too fast, tell me if y'all think I should lengthen it, elaborate, use more details... That kinda thing.

“Can anyone tell me what a covalent bond is?” Mrs. Green calls out.   
Ugh, I hate science. To many useless things we have to memorize… Seriously, what’s the point? Math is almost as bad, but slightly more tolerable. At least it's an easy 'A', because Mrs. Green moves through the curriculum slower than a naked fat kid on a toddler's slide.

I look up from my book to see the smartest kid in class, James, (my best friend), raise his hand.   
Mrs. Green points at him. I watch as a smile overtakes her face because she knows that James is about to describe what exactly a covalent bond is with what's probably a word-for-word dictionary perfect answer.   
“A bond between atoms, in which they share valence electrons to stabilize each respective atom,” James says, his wobbly voice traveling over the room.   
I smirk. Welcome to puberty. Every guy in the grade has a voice that cracks nonstop.  
James is really smart, easily the smartest kid in the grade. That question wasn’t even a challenge for him. Just based on the books he reads, you would've guessed he was a professor at Harvard, not a 10th grader in some lame public high school.   
James has pale skin and dark brown hair. He needs sunscreen to survive, and would die if he lost his glasses. All in all, he’s a massive nerd. 

James turns around and grins at me, pulling me back into reality. Suddenly, the bell rings, breaking our stare as we shove our things in our bags and burst out of the door amid a herd of students.   
James laughs as we head toward our next class, "You'd think she would start going to the hard stuff, right? We're her most advanced class!"   
"That'll be the day," I reply, a smile on my face, "We've been on the same subject for a month now! Seriously, a month?"   
James punches my arm.   
"Hey, don't diss Mrs. Green, she's a good teacher, but she can't leave the rest of the class in the dust."   
"Fair enough."   
I enjoy James’ company, he always makes me laugh, even on my really shitty days. He's my closest friend.   
"Oh fuck..." James mutters, ducking his head, "Jerk alert!"   
I look up and take in the 'popular' crowd walking down the hall. It's mainly made up of a bunch of annoying, bitchy kids who happen to have rich parents.   
"Look, it’s James!" One of the kids jeer, “Hey, Smartass! Still hiding behind a girl?”  
I whip around.   
"Fuck off," I snarl, a silent threat laced in my words.  
"What are you gonna do about it?" he replied.  
It was Michael Jade. One of the biggest jerks in school, who likes to bully James because he had the moral decency to tip off the teacher when Michael was smoking in the bathroom. He also hates me because I beat the shit out of him in 6th grade for picking on James. Got two weeks of detention for it, but the teacher laughed and told me he had it coming.   
I feel a tug on my shoulder and a voice follows.   
"Leave it alone, Aella. He's not worth it."   
I turned around. James is right. As always.   
I let out my breath as Michael sneers.   
"Yeah, better listen to your friend, Aella... Don’t want me to kick your ass in front of everyone."   
I set my jaw and keep walking. I can't let my anger get the better of me.  
“That’s what I thought, Aella. You know, for someone who acts tough, who acts like a guy, you got no bite. You're just a scared little girl!”   
Red clouds my vision, and my senses come into focus. My eyesight becomes sharper. My ears pick up everything going on around me. I can smell each individual scent in the hallway. My teeth sharpen into canines. My anger builds, a tidal wave threatening to overcome me. I start to turn back around.   
"I'm gonna fucking kill him," I growl.   
James grabs my arm to get my attention.  
“Hey, calm down, Aella. Ignore them. They're idiots.”  
I blink. I feel my fury recede. My teeth are normal. No insane sense of smell. No sharper vision. No heightened hearing. What the hell? What just happened? I must have not gotten enough sleep last night.   
  
"Hey," he says when we get to Lit, "What was that? I've never seen you get so mad. I thought you were about to lose it... Are you okay?"   
"I'm sorry," I reply as I take a seat, "I don't know what happened. I don't usually lose my shit."   
I shake my head and exhale slowly. What is going on?  
I stalk to the teacher's desk and get a bathroom pass. I've got to clear my head, maybe splash some cold water on my face while I'm at it.  
  
\-------------------------

I turn on the faucet and cup my hands under the water. I wait as the water fills in my hands, then splash my face. I splutter and shake my head like a dog, sending water everywhere. That's better. My head feels clearer.   
I reach for the brown paper towels and rub the rough material on my face, effectively drying it.

I glance at the mirror then lean on the bathroom sink and stare at my reflection. A lot has changed over the past few years. My body is lean and surprisingly corded with muscle. My skin is tanned and fairly smooth. I don't know why I'm as fit as I am. I sit at a desk for the majority of the day, though I love the outdoors and I get outside in the woods whenever I can. Some of my friends envy me. They've straight up said to me, "Aella, you're lucky. Everyone in the school has had a crush on you at some point." But I could care less. I don't see why people chase me. I try and deter them. For instance, I never put on makeup. I don't try to be pretty. I don't style my hair. I just tie the long black mess up into a pony tail. I wear the same black leather jacket, usually some stupid tee-shirt with a cheesy graphic on it, and form fitting jeans that cover the shafts of the dark tan combat boots I rarely take off. My eyes are pretty, though. I like them a lot. I can see why they'd attract people. They're a steel grey. A grey that perfectly conveys my 'fuck you' attitude to the unfortunate people I hate. Another reason I prefer to be alone apart from my friends. I hate dealing with stupid pricks who only care for themselves. People who hide behind a mask to get close to someone. I glance at the mirror one last time, then turn on my heel and walk to class. 

\--------------------------

  
"You were gone a while," James says as I reach my seat. His eyes meet mine and concern is written all over his face.  
“Everything good?”  
“Yeah,” I smirk, “Just admiring this beautiful face.”  
James snorts, “You’re full of shit, Aella.”  
“Yeah, I know.”  
"Ahem," the teacher stares at us, "James, Aella, I expect better from you! You're my brightest, most well behaved students! And that brings us to Aella, I guess you're usually okay."  
"I'm not included in the well behaved category?" I quip as I look at our teacher with wide, innocent eyes as a few of my classmates struggle to hide their laughter.  
"No! I mean, yes! Ugh. You know what I mean. Just don't talk when the teacher is talking!"   
James and I look down sheepishly.   
"Yes ma'am," we chorus.   
"Now, as I was saying, no homework for this weekend, but I am assigning a quiz on Monday, so do yourselves a favor and study. Class dismissed!"   
James looks at me, eyes still alight with amusement.  
"That was fun. So, what do you have planned for the weekend?" he asks.   
"Nothing really. Just wanted to read some."   
"Ah."   
I grab my bag and sling it over my shoulders.  
“Hey, Aella,” James says as I push in my chair.  
“Yeah?”  
“If you’re free, do you wanna hang out and work on our math project? That graph is going to be a pain in the ass to do alone if we don't get together…”  
“Sure! Does Sunday work?” I ask.  
“Yeah, thanks! Take care!”  
I grin at him and walk outside to my bus.  
“See ya!”


	3. Chapter 2 (Aella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm probably going to come back to this chapter later, and give A) more backstory to the parents, and B) elaborate... Feel like I rushed this chapter too.

I stand on the porch of my adoptive parent's house and watch the bus drive off. It kicks up a lot of smoke. There's no way that thing is eco friendly.  
My foster parents are nice. They're the only ones who I've stayed with for more than six months. I turn around and pull out my key. The brass lock shines as the late afternoon sun hits it.  
I yank open the door and walk in. I survey the living room. The lights are out. Why are all the lights out? They always leave the lights on for me… Oh well. They probably just went out on some errands and forgot to turn the lights on.  
I turn around.  
"Mom! Dad! Anybody home?"  
There’s no answer. The house is still and quiet.  
I shrug. They’ll probably be back soon. I drop my bag and grab a book off my dresser. As I plop on my bed, I open it and begin to read.  
It doesn't take long for me to fall asleep. 

I wake to the sound of something dropping in the garage.  
Fear creeps through my bones. What the hell is going on? Who would be in the basement this late? I stand up and bolt to my closet.  
"Where's my stupid knife?" I mutter as I sift through the piles of junk on my closet floor. I always keep it close. Growing up in the system, you never know if you'll need to run from an abusive home.  
My fingers close around the cool hilt and I yank it out of the sheath. I slip out of my room and flip the knife into a reverse grip.  
“Who’s there?” I call down the hall.  
"We're down here, sweetie!" My mom calls from the basement.  
I relax and slack my grip on the knife. God. I thought something was wrong.  
I turn down the stairs heading towards the basement. When I get to the bottom, I open the door and enter the garage. And then see what has to be my worst nightmare.  
  
A phone is propped on a toolbox and under it is a bundle of wires and a timer. FaceTime is open, and I see my foster parents, with a gun pointed to their heads.  
"I'm so sorry. We love you," my mom whispers. Tears are flowing freely down her face. The gun sounds, and the screen disconnects.  
I drop to my knees. Shock pours through me. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see the timer flash zero.  
  
I'm blown through the air and my back slams into a tree. My foster parents' house is disintegrated. My hind leg is trapped under debris and dust fills my snout.  
Wait.  
Snout?!? What the fuck?  
I look down at my body. The body of a wolf. My senses are dialed to eleven. My heart is beating at what has to be 200 plus bpm. It's like what happened in school today, but on a larger scale. I’m dreaming. I’m dreaming. I’m dreaming. Fuck. Vaguely my mind registers that I'm going crazy.  
I have to get out of here. And figure out what the hell is happening. I shift and start to paw out of the rubble, the houses remains catch on my right flank and shreds my matte black pelt. Pain lances through me and I can’t help it. I howl. An ear-splitting, shrieking howl. And then I hear the copters. Blackhawks, from the looks of it. They soar through the sky, and land in the disintegrated rubble.  
Men jump out. They have guns, and wear black uniforms. I can scent their fear. What are they afraid of? The bomb already fucking went off. The bomb.  
My mind tries to piece it together. A bomb went off. I watch through half-lidded eyes as they fan out in the forest around what used to be my home. I hear a walkie talkie blare.  
“Find the body. If she’s still alive, kill her. Shoot on site, she is extremely dangerous.”  
The man on the walkie-talkie has a low, gravely voice. And he’s telling them to kill someone. There’s no one around here to kill. Is there?  
I look down at myself. I’m a wolf. A fucking wolf. God. I might be in a craze right now, but… I think they’re gonna kill me. Oh shit. How am I going to get out of this one? I just watched the closest thing I had to parents be killed in front of my eyes, and the only refuge I have ever had blown up.  
Grief is creeping in. Devastation. I can feel it consuming me. Wait. Think. Breathe. I have to get the hell away from here. There will be time to grieve later, but if I don't put aside emotions for now, I won't be alive to do that.  
I look at my hind leg and yank it from under the debris. Ow. That really hurt. I bare my teeth and test my balance. I should be able to put weight on it. It’ll hurt like hell. But I don’t have a choice right now.  
“She’s over here! Weapons free!”  
Fuck. I whip my head around to see a man pointing at me, even as he raises a black M16. Fuck, fuck, fuck! I turn and tear into the woods, leaves crunching under my paw. Gunfire sounding behind me. My eyes dart. I see a beaten path off to my right, and I veer off towards it. The sun shines through the trees as I run and the birds go silent in my wake. My breath draws short but I keep running.  
  
And then we’re back were we started. Me, on the run. Trying to escape with my miserable life. 

More gunfire sounds and light brown dirt flies up in front of my face as the bullets hit the ground. My legs are burning, but I speed up.  
I can outrun them! There's no way that they can catch up! I'm a wolf for crying out loud!  
I'm still running when a deafening boom blows me off my paws. I hit the ground hard, the packed dirt jolting my injured hind leg.  
A grenade? A fucking grenade?!? Who does that?!?  
I groggily stumble back onto my paws and look back.  
Shit.  
They're catching up. Fast too. I don't know if I can do this.  
I let out a whimper and start making my way towards some blackberry bushes. I can hide there.  
But I fall to the ground. I can't do it. I don't have anything left.  
Come on, Aella. You have to. You have to survive.  
So I put a paw forward and dig my claws into the ground. I then proceed to drag my self. Bit by bit.  
I'm so close…  
A man bursts into the clearing.  
Dammit.  
"There you are, you little bitch," he sneers.  
He levels his gun and right before he shoots, a blur of white fur slams into him. The gun goes off and I see it more than feel it. A dull pain in my hind leg. The left one, the one that wasn't injured in the first place.  
Well shit. Both are down for the count. I do the wolf equivalent of a laugh, which is pretty much just a rumble in my chest.  
Ha! I'm delirious.  
I watch through half lidded eyes as a white wolf shreds the man who shot me. Blood splatters the stark white fur, and the wolf literally rips his throat out.  
The wolf looks up and turns to me. It starts to stalk in my direction, and its beautiful blue eyes are the last thing I see before I blackout.

I wake to water. Thundering, loud water. I look up and take in my surroundings. The first things I noticed were that; A, I was naked, B, I was half-way submerged in what appeared to be a hot spring, C, it looked like it was in a cave with a hole in the ceiling, said hole filling the cavern with the dusk light, and D, I wasn't alone.  
I looked over at the other girl in the spring. She watched me with interest as I took her in. She looked about sixteen or seventeen. Pretty close to my age. She had blond hair so pale that it was almost white, with blue streaks in it. Her skin was a contrast to mine, whereas I had the appearance of tanned skin, hers was fair. Extremely fair. The thing that stood out most however, was her blue eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes that held my gaze while I processed. The same blue eyes that belonged to the wolf that had saved my life.  
"Y-You're the wolf," my voice rasped, "You saved my ass. Thanks."  
"Your ass needed saving," she replied.  
Her voice was beautiful. A lilting, melodious sound. It was almost as beautiful as her.  
Whoa! Where'd that come from?!? I don't usually think like this, but something about her… I was drawn to her.  
"I wasn't about to let another wolf die."  
"So, am I crazy?" I ask, my voice clearer now, "Last time I checked, werewolves aren't real."  
"Who said we're werewolves?" she raised an eyebrow, "We're wolves. No 'were'."  
"Yup. I'm definitely crazy." I mutter.  
"No. You're not. I thought the same thing when I first shifted. But nope, we aren't lucky enough to be crazy. If you were crazy, you'd be safely stowed in an asylum. Not being hunted down and killed."  
"Well. Fuck," I reply.  
"Yeah. So, what's your name?" she asked as she tilted her head. It was a purely lupine movement, and it distracted me from the question for a few seconds.  
"Oh. It's Aella."  
"Dawn."  
She stood, water cascading down her lithe frame as she turned to step out of the spring.  
I quickly dropped my eyes. Apparently wolves don't believe in clothes.  
"Come on," she called, "Come dry off and throw on some clothes. I need to introduce you to the rest of the pack."  
I start to stand but a sharp pain in my thigh causes to stumble and fall. I should've hit the rock floor, but Dawn's warm arms catch me and haul me back up. I lean on her and she helps me stand. When I look down I see a bandage wrapped around my upper thigh.  
Shit.  
I forgot about the bullet. Yet, the worst part is that I'm pretty sure someone had to get up close and personal with some other things to wrap that bandage, considering how high up my leg it is. That's enough to make me blush and attempt to cover myself as I stumble over to where Dawn has our clothes layed out.  
She rolls her eyes at my attempt at decency but doesn't let go of me until I'm leaning against the wall, then throws a towel at me. I catch it then proceed to rub the coarse material over my body while she pulls on her outfit.  
"Thanks," I say, "That's the second time today you've saved my ass."  
"Actually, you've been out for three days. Your wounds were bad. Your other leg had an extremely ugly bruise, but it healed. Your back was also bruised, but the real problem was the bullet. I had to take it out and sterilize the wound. Luckily, you're a wolf, so you heal fast. That bullet wound isn't going away for a few days, though."  
After I process and dry off, she hands me my clothes. All of them smell clean and I quickly dress.  
"Your boots are at the mouth of the cave. Had to dry them out after I washed the blood off."  
"Thanks, I think. You didn't have to clean them off though," I say, "I'm sure that they were a pain to clean."  
"Well, we do have to venture into civilization sometimes, you don't want to look like shit. Oh, right, forgot, your jacket is on that rock," she points to a small outcropping by what looks to be the exit to this part of the cave system.  
"How many sections to this cave?" I ask as I lean on her and limp over to it, the cold stone leeching warmth from my feet.  
"About five," she says as I pull on my jacket, the leather sliding over my skin.  
"How did you find me?" I look at her.  
She hesitates before answering, "I just felt it. I could sense your panic. Your terror. Your pain. Wolves can sometimes sense other wolves."  
"Oh," I reply.  
Damn. This is one weird day.


	4. Chapter 3 (Dawn)

Holy hell. She's hot. I just about went insane when I undressed her and laid her in the spring. And, oh my God, don't even get me started on her scent! She smells like pine, sunlight, and magnolia. I have no idea why the hell they smell so good together, but they're making me go crazy. And she just asked me how I found her. Not good. There is no way I'm telling her that I could sense her because she's probably my fucking mate! She knows nothing of the wolf world, and I'm not about to tell her that she's most likely destined to be with me. She's already coping with enough. Plus, I know I would hate someone being forced upon me. So I lie through my teeth, and as always, the best lie is a half-truth.  
"I just felt it. I could sense your panic. Your terror. Your pain. Wolves can sometimes sense other wolves."  
Half true, most wolves do have a preordained mate, someone they can sense when they are in close proximity to each other.  
Damn, that jacket looks phenomenal on her.  
"Oh," she says, breaking my train of thought as it quickly becomes some extremely filthy shit.  
Right. Come on, Dawn. Pull it together.  
I swing her arm around my shoulders and place my hand under her rib cage to support her as we stand.  
"You good?" I ask.  
"I- I don't know," she says, looking up at me.  
Holy shit. I could melt from that gaze, from those eyes. That beautiful grey. So much strength hidden underneath. So much passion.  
FOCUS!  
Jeez.  
"Well, if it helps, I'm right here with you, and I won't let you go. Nor will the pack, should you choose to stay."  
"Stay? I have to go back… I can't just quit school."  
"We'll talk later, when you have more information. Now, come on. It's time for you to meet the pack."  
I take most of her weight as we walk out of the bathing chamber, and into the main cave.  
As we stumble through the opening, I take in the pack. They're all sitting around a fire in the center of the cave, chatting amiably.  
They fall silent when they notice us, and they all stand.  
I feel Aella stiffen and press into me, watching them for any sudden movements. That's her wolf talking, I realize. Not as a challenge, but wary anticipation. Survival instinct. I also notice that despite the short amount of time she's known me, she trusts me, implicitly. Funny how the mating bond does that, and she doesn't even realize it.  
"Pack, this is Aella. Aella, this is the pack," I eye the pack and add, "Pack, don't be dicks."  
"There's five of us in total," I say.  
"This is Kai," I point at the biggest of us, "Kai may be built, but he's also a bit of a softie."  
Kai raises an eyebrow, giving a pointed look to my arm holding up Aella, "Can you even be talking right now?  
I roll my eyes, feeling Aella start to relax.  
"That's Lizzie," I say eyeing a small brunette sitting next to Kai, "You want fashion advice, or just to get roasted because of what you're wearing, ask her."  
Lizzie smiled at me with a grin so full of evil mischief I almost laughed.  
"Then there's her twin, Arya," I watch as Arya smirks and waves a hello, "She plays matchmaker too much and loves to meddle…"  
"Guilty," Arya grins.  
"That's Hayden sitting next to her," I say, "He's kind of the mediator. Anytime there's a disagreement, he helps keep us together."  
Hayden lifts his chin in greeting.  
"We're a family," I set Aella down, helping her get in a comfortable spot for her leg.  
"What about you?" she asks, looking at me, "How do you fit in?"  
"I'm the Alpha," I reply, "I do my best to protect us and keep this miserable lot safe."  
"So," Kai says, "What happened? What do you remember? All we know is what Dawn told us, so basically that you were being hunted and she had to drag your unconscious ass out of there."  
Aella's eyes go blank and I get a glimpse of her haunted expression before she pulls on an indifferent mask.  
"I- I got home from school and went in. It was a normal day. I noticed that all the lights were off in the house, and my foster parents weren't there. The only really unusual thing was that they hadn't left the lights on. They always leave- always left the lights on when they were gone. They know I don't like being alone in the dark. To many abusive homes when I was little, I guess. Anyway, I read for a while, then fell asleep. I woke up because of a noise in the garage. That was pretty weird, so I grabbed a knife from my closet and went to see who it was. I heard my mom call out, 'We're down here!', so I went down. Turns out, she wasn't there. It was a phone set to FaceTime with a fucking time-bomb was next to it. I saw my foster parent’s heads literally explode when the gun went off," her voice wavers before continuing, "The phone disconnected and the bomb blew up a few seconds later. I managed to escape while the helicopters started landing, but they saw me. I ran through the woods and eventually I couldn't do it anymore. I dropped. I tried to crawl to some bushes and hide, but one of them found me and would've killed me, but Dawn saved my life."  
A silence fell over the pack. Holy fucking hell. Talk about one seriously shitty day. I had figured it was a really bad day for her, considering the fact that she was running and being shot at, but I didn't realize just how rough it was for her. That's- that's enough to break someone. To destroy their will to live. I'm going to have to watch her, make sure she doesn't succumb to depression.  
I watch as Arya reaches out an arm to comfort her, and without thinking, I growl.  
Shit.  
Aella looks up at me startled. The rest of the pack wears the same expression until they notice how protective I've been of Aella and put two and two together.  
"Sorry," I mutter, then proceed to lie for the second time that day, "Story made me mad. That's a fucked up thing to happen to someone."  
Lizzie raises an eyebrow and I see the silent question that she's communicating.  
You haven't told her about the mating bond yet? About what it means?  
I subtly shake my head.  
"I hate to do this to you guys, you've been so nice to me, but I need to sleep and think. Is there somewhere I can go? Alone?" Aella asks.  
I stand and help her up.  
"I'll take you to our sleeping area. You can rest on my mattress."  
"I don't want to take your mattress…" she replies, "You use it. Besides, I'm fine."  
"Really?" I ask.  
I lightly tap her wounded leg and she winces.  
"Fine. Point made."  
I smirk and walk her to the other cave system where me and the pack have set up mattresses that circle a firepit. I gently set her down and start the fire with a lighter. I then take out a pack of cigarettes light one up.  
"You smoke?" she asks.  
"Yeah. We're not human. I don't really know what the hell we are besides the obvious ‘wolf’ thing, but I do know that we heal ridiculously fast. That's how you're not dead and that bullet wound is almost healed. We also can't get drunk. Can't get high. We don't get diseases. So, it doesn't affect my health, and calms me down, why not?"  
"Because it's a bad habit…"  
"Fair enough," I reply. I take one last drag on the cigarrette and stomp it out.  
"We don't have blankets," I look at her, "We usually shift and sleep as wolves to stay warm."  
"I- I don't know how to shift. The first time I shifted was when my foster parent's house blew up."  
"Eventually you'll be able to shift at will, but for now, focus on an emotion. Anger tends to work best."   
"All I feel is grief," she murmurs, "Everything that I love is gone. I'm having a hard time finding a reason to go on."  
I plop down next to her and wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her close. She puts her head on my shoulders and I hold her tight. Sobs wrack her body and I feel my jean jacket dampen.  
"Hey, you're going to be okay. We may not know each other well, but I'm not about to let you go. I'll be here, should you need me."  
She sniffles, "Thanks. I'm sorry I'm a weepy mess. I'm not usually like this."  
"Don't worry about it," I squeeze her and stroke her long black hair. I meant what I said. I'm not going to let her go.  
"I hate the people who did this."  
"Then do something," I reply, "Use your anger, put it to good use. I'll help you. They've been hunting my pack for sometime now, and I think it's time I put a stop to it."  
She grows heavier in my arms and I look down to see a mass of black fur resting beside me. I smile and stand. As I turn to leave I hear a whimper. I look back and see Aella looking at me, begging me to stay.  
I shift and pad over to her. She practically purrs in contentment and curls into herself. I lay down and curve myself around her, resting my head on top of her. I could die happily like this.   
By the time the pack pads in, Aella is asleep. I wonder what we look like to them, our black and white fur pressed together, two halves of one soul.  
I finally close my eyes and surrender to oblivion.


End file.
